By Pamela Burba

Every author dreams of writing the next cherished treasure like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. But where do you start?

“It’s always best to start at the beginning. And all you do is follow the Yellow Brick Road.”

– Glinda the Good Witch of Oz 

 

Is there something keeping you from getting started? Did Dorothy let the Wicked Witch of Oz stop her from taking that first step?

Glinda the Good Witch of Oz was the first of many to encourage her to get on her path and stay on it no matter what. I’d love to encourage you to take that first step! So grab those ruby slippers and join me as I take you on my fairy special journey.

My sister Cheryl and I loved when our Mother read us fairy tales as children. We always dreamed of creating a fairy tale that not only teaches children in a fun way but also lets the story continue from book to book. All we needed was…an idea for a fairy tale.

Sometimes your story may be right under your nose.

As it turns out, our idea was sitting there right in front of us all our lives. We just didn’t realize it until our cherished mother Dottie passed away at the age of ninety five.

Our mother told us sweet story she over and over our entire lives. It involved me as a four-year-old trying to buy an ice cream cone with a penny I’d found.

We were sitting around reminiscing about this story, and suddenly we realized THAT was our book idea. From a sweet simple story came the perfect idea for our fairy tale! Hooray, our feet were finally on that yellow brick road!

Ice Cream and Sprinkles and Fairies! Oh my!
            –Pamela Burba

If I could give one piece of advice it would be to have fun while you are creating your story. Just take your time and enjoy the journey! Much like Dorothy, our journey is full of wonderful stories that happened along the way that we will treasure forever.

Once the Dottie Sprinkles character was created, the story began to fall into place Children would visit Dottie’s Fairy Special Ice Cream Shop and soon learn it was run by ice cream fairies. Dottie would teach gentle lessons to the children of Ferry Harbor. The love for our Mother just poured into the story.

And so Dottie Sprinkles Fairy Special Ice Cream Shop was born.

 

“In all this world there is nothing so beautiful as a happy child.”
– L.
Frank Baum 

It helps to know your goal. Ours was to bring happiness to children by creating a magical way for them to learn gentle lessons. And just by reminiscing—brainstorming—we were able to find our idea, and the stories just poured out of us.

Just like Dorothy kept her goal of getting home in front of her it helped us to never give up!

“Oh, look! There’s the Emerald City! Oh, we’re almost there at last!”
– Dorothy Gale

How exciting to reach the final step on the yellow brick road and reflect on what you hoped to accomplish when you started.

For us it is our hope that children will cherish Dottie Sprinkles long after The Fairy Grandmothers have clicked the heels of their ruby shoes and headed home.

 

Writing

Follow Your Yellow Brick Road From Beginning to End

Image
Author Feature

Is it possible to live in a real life version of The Matrix?

The following are the words of Kris Embrey, author of “Tell Me You Want Me” and “Till The Other Side of Time”. For more information on Kris or her book, find her on her website or her Facebook page. Download the Archway Publishing free publishing guide for more information on our supported self-publishing services.

Imagine yourself completing your very first romance fiction novel and secure a publisher. Sounds good so far. But let’s say there’s a possibility you will meet the antagonist from your fiction story in real life. Would you change the antagonist storyline?

Hollywood has done countless movies on the subject of manifestation. The Matrix is one example, but could you see yourself living within a real-life matrix? It happened just after my first book was released in March 2016 by Archway Publishing. Life as a writer took an interesting turn when fictional characters started to show up on my path.

What I’d believed and thought about the spiritual world, would be challenged the day I’d met Mark Grant, and hearing the name Lex Lenord being paged over a P.A. system. Knowing this was more than a mere coincidence, as these were two fictional names used in my romance novel.

One afternoon, and the same week my first book was published, I was reviewing a profile from a dating site I’d joined. The man who I’ll call “Ray,” messaged me while I’d looked up at the sky, being memorized by a rainbow on a clear day. Replying back to Ray’s message, he seemed interested in meeting for coffee, making a plan to meet later in the week.

That following Monday, sitting at work, Ray sent a message to see if we could meet up for a drink after work. On that same day, I’d gotten my e-book stubs in the mail from Archway, and my first book was now officially published. Putting a few in my purse, heading out the door, I set out to go meet Ray.

At the bar, we ordered drinks and proceeded to have a great conversation. Talking with him, it felt like I’d known him a really long time, which was kind of unusual for me to hit it off with someone that fast. We paused and started looking into each other’s eyes and it got intense, “I really like you,” he said, with a smile, wanting to know what I was thinking. Being to shy to answer back, only offering him a smile in his direction, he smiled back. What I really wanted to say was, “Where have you been my entire life?” but the words didn’t come out. Our conversation would continue to flow the entire evening, as he asked questions of me being a writer. Reaching into my handbag, I pulled out one of the book stubs I’d gotten earlier that day, handing one to him, stating that I never expected him to ever read my romance novel. We continued to talk for a few more hours, then decided to end the night when he walked me to my car.

A few days passed after our date, and the friend who suggested I join the dating site was in town for work. The hardbound version of my book had just delivered to my door. Pulling the books from the box, my friend had arrived at my house. I didn’t give my friend time to settle in, excitement took over my mouth telling him about Ray, babbling on how I met this great guy, thanking my friend for the suggestion to join the dating site. Grabbing my phone to show a photo that Ray and I, had taken at the bar. My friend was standing over my books sitting on the table, as he started to get a very odd facial expression while doing a double take of the books sitting on my table. My friend picked up my book said, “are you kidding me? Look at this,” taking my phone to enlarge the photo, laid it next to my book; astounding to find that we were looking at the same person. “You didn’t show Ray this did you?” My friend demanded, positioning that I did give Ray a book stub, but hadn’t noticed the similarity to the illustrated book cover. “You manifested this guy.” My friend said, laughing shaking his head at me, as he walked away into the other room. I do admit, it was shocking to see the similarity of the cover art illustrated by a former co-worker several months before I met Ray, the resemblance was a dead-ringer.

Over the course of the next year, I became friends with Ray. His personality traits were being slowly revealed to me, and I would come to learn that he and the antagonist Sebastian, were one in the same. In these months of developing a friendship with Ray, synchronicity would connect him to my fiction story published with Archway. Sebastian had a specific storyline that was to be completed in a three-part series. Now, what do I do?

Manifestation at the basic core principal “like attracts like” which in philosophy is used to sum up the idea that by focusing on thoughts, a person brings positive or negative experiences into their life. I’d spent around nineteen-hours a day, seven days a week, over the course of three-months writing my book. I guess the manifestation of my antagonist was an inevitability waiting to happen. To say I was attached to my writing would be an understatement. I’d spent more time developing Sebastian, than other characters in the book. Sebastian came to life from cover to cover literally, and confirmed to me, a classic case of manifestation.

Synchronicities are the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection. Many experiences perceived as coincidence are due not merely to chance, but instead potentially reflected by the manifestation of coincident events or circumstances. Manifesting is the intention to create something. Focusing with great detail on my antagonist Sebastian seems I’d brought into my life experience his doppelganger, Ray.

Can manifestation of a fiction story really happen? Yes, it can. Perhaps The Matrix is more than just the work of science fiction. When you’re in the “zone” focused and developing characters, what is written can come to pass. It happened to me. Perhaps the best advice I can give any new romance author…write your own love story of how you’d want to see it play out, especially if your single, you might just meet the love of your life.

Archway Publishing is always looking for content for its blog. If you’re an Archway Publishing author and would like to share a guest blog post, please visit our Blog Guidelines Page.

Standard
Writing

Writing the Great Historical Novel

The following are the words of Brenda Welburn, author of The Time Travels of Annie Sesstry. For more information on Brenda or her book, find her on her website, Facebook or Twitter. Download the Archway Publishing free publishing guide for more information on our supported self-publishing services.

DNA testing and expanding access to public records and private collections has resulted in an explosion of interest in ancestry and genealogical research. You have a scintillating idea for a novel centered around your family history. The plot material is enormous. Love, history, secrets, scandals, and adventure are a few scenarios waiting to draw readers to your story. But before undertaking the monumental task of writing a historical novel, consider a few guidelines.

Take time to research and understand the era.
Readers know very early if the details of your book’s time-period are sketchy or incorrect. They immediately recognize twenty-first-century vocabulary or the misplacement of artifacts and technology. I used barbwire in my book, and someone challenged it and checked to determine if barbwire even existed at that time. It turns out the patent date was her point of reference; which came several years after it was in use

Familiarize yourself with the architecture, political conditions, language, and clothing of the era. Frequent depictions of the Puritans during colonial times might suggest the women only wore black or gray. Further research reveals clothing restrictions were on fabric and embellishments, not colors. Doing deep-dive research ensures accuracy and authenticity in your book, and it provides unusual ideas for plotlines. There is a reason why it was called “The Scarlet Letter.”

Narrow the Arch of Your Story

Writing about a specific era outside of your life experiences can be challenging and made all the more daunting for your reader to follow if you try to cover too broad a period. Identify a span of time that you can write about with fidelity and passion. It will help in the development of your story and characters and allow you to cultivate a captivating tale. Besides, you can always save the next century for your sequel.

Write the Story

Unless you are writing a history book, which you are not if you are crafting fiction, concentrate on the story and allow the historical influences to flow naturally and enrich your narrative. Historical accuracy and detail is essential and provides context, but the reader is primarily interested in the tale you weave and the characters you create. Regardless of the era, it’s still about the story and not every minute factoid of what was happening historically when your character was born, married, faced the firing squad or died.

Avoid Family Surprises

If you choose to write your family saga, be considerate of those who might be impacted by your story. You may be familiar with the family secrets from one hundred years ago, but if it means Jane’s Uncle John was indeed her father and not her uncle, be sure Jane’s descendants are acquainted with the family lore. Even if they are not enthusiastic about revealing family dirt; being surprised about it in a published work is even worse.

Writing a historical novel can be loads of fun when you have great partners. Archway Publishing was an excellent vehicle for achieving my literary goal and publishing my first historical YA novel, The Time Travels of Annie Sesstry. I made a lot of mistakes, but I acquired a tremendous amount of knowledge. At every step of the way, I had the opportunity to engage with highly professional staff who helped me stay on track and secure the title of author. Now, I am gearing up for book two.

Archway Publishing is always looking for content for its blog. If you’re an Archway Publishing author and would like to share a guest blog post, please visit our Blog Guidelines Page.

Standard
General

My Journey from Ideation to Publication

The following are the words of John Regep, author of Rowing with One Oar. For more information on John or his book, find him on LinkedIn. Download the Archway Publishing free publishing guide for more information on our supported self-publishing services.

I published a business book about management and leadership with the guidance of Archway Publishing and would like to share my journey from ideation to seeing my work, “Rowing with One Oar, Lessons in Delivering Greater Value While Remaining Competitive”, available at all major online booksellers.

The Inspiration for the Title

It started with a phrase I used at work to describe the struggles my team was going through. “It’s like rowing with one oar,” I said out of frustration. We were tasked with an important assignment but didn’t have all the tools we felt were required to be successful. We eventually accomplished what needed to get done, but only after performing many workaround steps and many trial-and-error attempts.

That phrase kept running through my head during a family vacation. When I returned home I sat down and wrote a short parable “The One Oar Rowboat” about an employee that one day gets a new oar that’s supposedly three times better. Even though he protests that the boat was built with two oars in mind, the boss disregards anything the employee has to say and only complains that the employee is rowing in circles.

The story continues with the boss hiring a consultant who solves the problem by adding a rudder, a helmsman, and navigator. Let’s just say that costs keep rising without adding value.

I posted the story on LinkedIn, which was met with many ‘likes’ and comments but really didn’t get the attention of the people who could benefit from the story. An inner voice compelled me to expand on the story and discuss each part to create a conversation that can help companies perform better.

From LinkedIn Post to Published Book

I felt I wanted a wider audience than my connections on LinkedIn, so I put the expanded version in the form of a book. I contacted some former leaders that I worked with in the past to solicit their honest opinions, with their suggestions and encouragements I refined it and set out to get it published.

I was very naïve. The first thing I learned was that publishers no longer read manuscripts for possible publication, they only work with authors that have agents. Agents only work with authors that have a ‘platform’ (a new term for me that I think means already published and/or is already famous in one way or another.) After spending 6 months writing “query letters” (another new term) and getting nowhere with agents, it occurred to me that if I believed in my work then I should be the one investing in its publication. Why would I expect strangers to invest the time to read my manuscript then invest in editing, design, and publicity when I wouldn’t invest in it myself?

Finding Archway Publishing

What do I know about publishing? Nothing. That’s far from my expertise and experiences. I researched self-publishing and am very fortunate to have found Archway Publishing. Right from the beginning, reading their web page, I felt they were the ones for me. There are many firms out there, but Archway’s model is open, honest, and affordable. They present the options and pricing right up front, in a way that is understandable to a new author and they follow through in a timely manner.

I took the option that included a concierge who guided me through every step, from the initial manuscript review, multiple editing options, cover and interior design, all the way through to publishing. I am now an author of a book that is available at all major online booksellers. I couldn’t be happier.

Of course, my family, friends, and coworkers are excited, their interest and great reviews are encouraging, but the real test is with the general population. Here too, Archway is guiding me. Not only with the Author Learning Center and their advice on marketing to increase sales, they also arranged the advertising with a major online retailer that should reach half a million potential readers. All my work in social media has only produced 1,500 views, not quite the 500,000 I can get from working with Archway.

Obviously, if my inner voice ever dictates another book, I will turn to Archway Publishing again.

Archway Publishing is always looking for content for its blog. If you’re an Archway Publishing author and would like to share a guest blog post, please visit our Blog Guidelines Page.

Standard
Editing, Writing

There’s Always Room for Improvement During the Journey

The following are the words of M.A. Levi, author of the Beast Series. For more information on M.A. Levi or her book, find her on her website, Amazon or Goodreads. Download the Archway Publishing free publishing guide for more information on our supported self-publishing services.

There’s Always Room for Improvement During the Journey

Moreover, with such knowledge, improvements in ones’ writing is not only wise, but it progresses success further. Speaking from experience, I started writing my book ‘Beast Blood’ in October of 2013 after a lightning bolt of inspiration struck, and I became obsessed with these ideas and characters and with completing the overall story. Nine months of busy days and sleepless nights of writing and re-writing and enduring the editing agony everywhere and anywhere I went; I had completed my first book! It nearly took me a full year after to find the perfect publisher for my creation. Finally, in 2015 I found Archway Publishing my passion had become fulfilled as a published author. After several months my book was available to the public! Now, I had a solid, tangible mass that I could share with the world. Overall, Archway had given me the base knowledge that I needed to pursue my dream. However, I knew there was much for me to learn. My job wasn’t even close to done, but only beginning.

Along the Way

Compared to the more established authors, I was a newbie in the market. For my first signing, I had a few good pens, my books to sell and sign, and a shipment of confidence. Months on end I scheduled signings, meet-and-greets, Q’s and A’s and with that, I had people interested in my book and who I was. By this time, I had expanded and developed a solid reader base; it was amazing to hear such beautiful reviews for something I had created from a small thought that had much moxie behind it. Nonetheless, with the unanimous praise came the stinging criticism, and that my fellow authors, can break your confidence when you’re early in the game. It’s natural to meet such a negative comment or two with confusion and anger. Oh, yeah, there were times that I had done so. Trying to appreciate their perspective, even though it pounded against my confidence like a sledgehammer, I found that some had a touch of truth. However, it wasn’t until I wrote my second book, ‘Flames to the Beast’ to the point of such precision that I realized I made countless rookie mistakes in my writing. I finally had seen what the few had seen. Grammar issues, plot holes- the works. Determined to perfect the craft, I researched for hours on end, took classes, brushed up on everything that pertained to my weaker areas, and then I researched some more to find the elements that would amp up my game. Diligence and perseverance birthed success.

Learn from your failures but be sure to congratulate yourself for your successes. They are both stepping stones to progress.

Now, understand that some no matter how hard you to try will dislike or find something wrong with your creation. Taking on the attitude of ‘if you don’t like what I wrote, then you write a book to your liking,’ will help you with that. Also, the security and confidence that comes from knowing you had improved yourself will push you through the obstacles. Personally, proud of my endeavors, I walk into a signing assured my writing is where it needs to be, and that has helped create opportunities for success. I currently have my book ‘Flames to the Beast’ stocked in several indie-bookstores while growing the rapid reader/reviewer base. Sales and demand have increased as well. Despite all this, I know in the back of my mind, there’s always room for improvement along the journey.

Archway Publishing is always looking for content for its blog. If you’re an Archway Publishing author and would like to share a guest blog post, please visit our Blog Guidelines Page.

Standard
Writing

Confused? Use the Writing Process to Move your Project Along

The following are the words of Liz Cooper, Archway Publishing author of “Granny’s Teeth: A Collection of Quirky Rhyming Tales.” For more information on Liz or her book, find her on her website, Facebook or Twitter. Download the Archway Publishing free publishing guide for more information on our supported self-publishing services.

I recently met a college English major. He spent his summer working on a novel before giving up. When I asked him what his novel was about, he shrugged and said, “I don’t know, I started writing, and I waited for it to reveal itself.” He couldn’t even tell me the genre. Wow. He seemed to think that a great novel would just “happen.” No wonder he became discouraged. He didn’t take advantage of the Writing Process.

I’ve taught writing to elementary students up through college freshman. Convincing aspiring writers, to mindfully use the Writing Process can be challenging. Many writers like to “wing it.” I tell them that It’s better to follow these steps:

Brainstorming

The old adage, ‘write what you know’ is true. For my book, Granny’s Teeth – A Collection of Quirky Rhyming Tales, I knew I wanted to write funny stories about kids at play. I thought about my own childhood experiences at the beach and sleeping at my grandmother’s house where I loved watching her take her false teeth out at night. As I reminisced, my imagination kicked in. What if the ocean was alive and tried to steal a boy’s sand castle? What if Granny loaned her homesick grandchild her false teeth in a jar to keep her company? Even better, what if the teeth started talking and kept the child up all night?

Plan

Make a plan, even if it’s jotting down a short summary of the beginning, middle, and ending of the story on the back of a napkin. Some people like to type a formal outline or use a graphic organizer. Make an overall book plan before breaking it down further. When I wrote Francois and the Tide, the first story in my book, the basic plot was comprised of five simple sentences: Boy builds a sand castle, Ocean knocks sand castle over, Boy digs a hole, Ocean fills it up. Boy discouraged until he finds a seashell.

Rough Draft

The next step is to commit your story to paper as quickly as you can. Your draft doesn’t have to be neat. I like scribbling or typing as quickly as I can before I forget my great ideas. This is a picture of the very first draft of Bertram Butternut- Innovator, another tale in Granny’s Teeth. It’s a mess, but I knew I wanted Bertram to keep coming up with new ideas in a cause and effect formula until he finally grows an apple tree. As you can see, my brain was moving faster than my pen.

Revise, Revise, Revise

Revising is my favorite part of the writing process. I change words, add transitions, move things around, and attend to the details that make the writing come alive and ensure that the story makes perfect sense. For Francois, I substituted interesting words, i.e. fortress instead of a castle. I added personification; the ocean and the boy taunt each other over who is going to prevail. Lastly, I made several changes to make sure that my rhyming wasn’t forced. It must have worked because this story came in the top ten out of a field of 5,000 entries in a writing contest sponsored by a major publisher.

Editing

The very last step is editing. I highly recommend that authors invest in professional editing. I taught a college grammar course, and I still make mistakes! Errors in usage, punctuation, and spelling distract the reader and blur the author’s message. I used Archway’s excellent editorial service and it was well worth it!

As simple as it sounds, it’s true. Using the Writing Process will provide the orderly steps for completing a successful, and enjoyable, writing project.

Archway Publishing is always looking for content for its blog. If you’re an Archway Publishing author and would like to share a guest blog post, please visit our Blog Guidelines Page.

Standard
Writing

Tips for Beating Writer’s Block, Part One

Today we’d like to begin discussing something that affects all writers, self-published or otherwise. Yeah, you know what it is already: writer’s block.

Why are there so many articles on writer’s block? Probably because writer’s block is to authors what a pulled muscle is to an athlete: one of the common denominators of the trade, something every participant can identify with. And like that pulled muscle, it’s one of the most frustrating.

So beginning today, we kick off a four-part series of tips for beating writer’s block. Let’s get started!

Remember what writer’s block is, and isn’t.

“Writer’s block.” It sounds so impenetrable, doesn’t it? And that’s part of the problem. But it’s not a wall or a force field or a dead-end street. It’s just a temporary inability for a writer to decide on the best direction for their story. Realize that there IS a best direction; you just haven’t figured it out yet. Relax!

Remember, you’re in good company!

Charles Dickens has had it. Ditto for Stephen King, John Grisham, J. K. Rowling, Tom Clancy, Stephanie Meyer, and James Patterson. You name the author, and it’s guaranteed that (s)he has stared at the monitor, blank sheet of paper, or piece of parchment and thought, “I have no idea what to write.”

And you know what? They went on to write classics and bestsellers. A problem doesn’t seem so insurmountable when you see other people solve it, does it? Well, every writer in the history of the craft has solved it; you will too.

Lower your standards.

Poet William Stafford perhaps said it best: “There’s no such thing as writer’s block for writers whose standards are low enough.” He wasn’t promoting substandard writing, of course. The point is, it’s common for writers to set unreasonably high standards that aren’t achievable on a consistent basis. Remember, a lot of your story is going to manifest itself in the rewrite, not the first draft. The important thing is to just keep moving forward; you can always come back and fix that “clunky” scene later!

Just skip it!

So you’ve already written “A,” “B,” and “C,” and you have “F” and “G” plotted out. But you’re stuck on “D” and “E,” and have no idea what to do with them. Sure, you can pound your head on the desk until you figure it out, or you can just skip ahead for now! Jump to the next place in your story where you’re on “sure footing,” and start writing from there. You can always figure out the gaps later–and you will!

 

Archway Publishing is always looking for content for its blog. If you’re an Archway Publishing author and would like to share a guest blog post, please visit our Blog Guidelines Page.

Standard
Writing

Combining Fact and Fiction- a Children’s Journey to Knowledge

The following are the words of Laura Wiener, Archway Publishing author of “The Mysterious Dripping Drops”. Download the Archway Publishing free publishing guide for more information on our supported self-publishing services.

Why Did I Write My Book?

I began writing my book, The Mysterious Dripping Drops, with four basic goals in mind. I wanted to educate children about the beauty, intricacy, and delicate balance of life in the rainforest and neighboring areas. I wanted the children to become a part of an Amazon adventure where new facts, explanations, and events were page turners. I wanted the children to identify with the characters and journey along with them sharing their happiness, fears, and hopes. I wanted the children to become aware of the threat of the rainforest destruction leading to the extinction of plants and animals due to deforestation, arson and climate change.

About My Book

Having a doctorate in biology and a degree in education, I combined my knowledge and skills to write a story about two ants. One, a red army ant from a deciduous forest loses his home to clear-cutting, fires, and floods. She is swept down the Amazon River and finds herself in the rainforest. The leafcutter ants find her unconscious by the banks of the river and bring her back to their colony. One of the chief worker ants befriends her, and the two ants journey through the rainforest looking for the wise sloth that can help the red ant find her way back home. On the journey, the ants encounter many challenges and also comical events which help explain the ecology of the Amazon.

To write this book, I planned six basic steps.

Research:
I became an expert and tried to research all and everything about the Amazon rainforest and including the deforestation. I read articles online, went to libraries, spoke with Brazilians who had lived near the rainforest and collected as much data as deemed necessary. I also visited the rainforest.

Major Scientific/Environmental Topics:
I decided which scientific/ environmental topics I wanted to address in the story.

Character Development:
I chose which animals would be the best candidates for the story. The ants are creatures that are key to the environment but often overlooked when children are researching the rainforest. The ants with their small size could journey through the rainforest and witness many events undetected.

Plot Development:
I wove the plot around the topics and characters I chose in the previous steps.

Illustrator:
For the illustrations, I chose an illustrator from South America who was familiar with the landscape of the rainforest.

Publisher:
Archway has been a wonderful choice for my publishing needs. From the onset to end, their expertise, friendly manner, quick responses to any questions and quality work have been true assets. I couldn’t be happier with the end product; the illustrations, text and overall layout are professional and highly attractive. The Author Learning Center has also offered invaluable webinars and made the marketing aspects a lot more understandable.

Archway Publishing is always looking for content for its blog. If you’re an Archway Publishing author and would like to share a guest blog post, please visit our Blog Guidelines Page.

Standard
Marketing

Marketing Your Book

The following are the words of Angela Adley, Archway Publishing author of “Growing Up without My Daddy”. Learn more about Angela on her website, her book’s website or Facebook page. Download the Archway Publishing free publishing guide for more information on our supported self-publishing services.

Have a Marketing Strategy

In 2015, I entered into a marketing campaign offered through Archway Publishing which partnered with the Bohlsen Group to advertise my book titled, Growing Up without my Daddy. The Bohlsen Group offers unified marketing that uses both conventional and unconventional marketing tactics and services.

During my six week campaign, I was assigned to a publicist who worked to understand my audience and generated momentum in line with my personal goals. During my marketing campaign, my publicist released a general press release, targeted pitches to media outlets in my hometown, local interest areas, and requested areas. Additionally, my publicist reached outlets focused on children’s interest, human interest, Christianity, religion, spirituality, healing, parenting, childcare, child development, and family interest outlets.

The Benefits of Using an Advertising Firm

Using a public relations/advertising firm allowed me to reach a variety of outlets that as a first-time author would be difficult for me to navigate independently. My publicist was able to secure media interviews with local, out-of-state radio stations, and online radio shows. Additionally, the Bohlsen Group was able to secure publication in digital/online magazines.

During each week of my campaign, a report was provided to show strategic planning/progress made toward weekly targets, which was very helpful to visualize the direction/progress of my marketing campaign. This information was also later helpful for my personal use when following-up with specific outlets that had not responded by the end of my six-week campaign.

Marketing Your Book Takes Time

Authors should know that media relations are a tenuous process that may take weeks, months, or longer to come back to fruition. Thus the final marketing report provided valuable insight into my brand platform and how that could possibly coincide with personal marketing efforts moving forward independently.

Overall, my marketing campaign was an insightful experience that became the starting point to market and share my book on a national level. The opportunity also guided me toward next steps and direction for marketing my book after the campaign. For authors interested in marketing their book with Archway Publishing or in general, I would recommend the following tips:

  • Determine your book goals
  • Determine your marketing goals
  • Determine the audience you wish to serve
  • Determine if target marketing options give you the right credibility
  • Determine if target marketing options access the right audience
  • Determine if target marketing options allow you to gain the right access to media
  • Determine if target marketing options allow you to gain the right visibility
  • Determine the financial return on your marketing investment/s

My book is truly a masterpiece, and I am grateful that I chose Archway to help with all aspects of its creation and marketing.

Archway Publishing is always looking for content for its blog. If you’re an Archway Publishing author and would like to share a guest blog post, please visit our Blog Guidelines Page.

Standard
Writing

Character and Topic Development

The following are the words of Gabrielle F. Culmer, Archway Publishing author of “Where Lives Lead”, “Glenely Bay and Nostalgia from Paris”, and “Arrive by Dusk.” For more on the author, visit her website, Facebook, and Twitter. Download the Archway Publishing free publishing guide for more information on our supported self-publishing services. 

Write What You Know

I was once told when studying for my “O” levels in high school to write about what I knew because it was my strong point. Since my early years consisted of scenic marine views, they usually have been a topic in my novels. I always concentrate on the aquamarine colors, the temperature of the water, its texture, the sensation of diving into the water and how it motivates my characters. My characters have a focal point where the topics arise from the scenery.

Turning Reality into Fiction

 I use this practice now for much that I write about and can extract topics from everyday life. If I am in a particular city to which I am accustomed, naturally it would present some element in my stories. It takes technique to turn this reality into fiction and have it removed to the third person of my character. How a character may feel would not necessarily be my point of view. It is important to both disassociate from myself to appreciate the character and delve into the imagination of how that character would react in reality. It is about their perspective and a different point of view.

The character’s point of view may be distinct from the writer and may not be a normal reaction; it should be respected. The character may be disliked because their life may appear too perfect or they may be unpopular. Whatever the situation, I try to make them more coherent to the reader and describe how they perceive their situation. The characters are usually complex and have some underlying issues beneath a perfect surface that may cause friction. Often, my characters can inspire others who may be facing a particular issue, or be overcoming a loss. The character’s personality nuances may be a subtle point which may go unnoticed to the reader at first, and then evolves, and is revisited.

I relish visiting parts of a town where a character may inhabit, or a theme in the novel, or a place I appreciate. I may imagine how a character may react in a very uncomfortable and unknown environment, or in a familiar setting.

“Where Lives Lead”, emphasizes family and career and is the continuation of the story-line of “Arrive by Dusk.” The story was still untold and I wanted to delve into the character’s new lifestyle as a married couple as well as add new characters and interests.

A Little About My Characters

The new character of the writer, Genevieve, shows a writer’s point of view in contrast to the other characters. There are also new characters in the form of film actors who also provide a new and interesting perspective. Whereas, Harriett strives for the reconciliation between theater, family, and reality. However, Mindy is an inspiring and constant figure who is a landscape artist as well as the main character. Blaine, her husband, may be viewed as successful, complex, and dutiful. The story is inspired by the notion that you can fulfill your dreams with dedication. It depicts the fast-paced NY life and the contrasting scenic and languid beach resort lifestyle. The central theme of the balance of career and family explores whether or not it is possible to have both, and is applicable to many people.

Archway Publishing is always looking for content for its blog. If you’re an Archway Publishing author and would like to share a guest blog post, please visit our Blog Guidelines Page.

Standard